more than a decade ago, the world first met little nkosi johnson, the south african boy born with hiv. he'd lost his mother to aids, and at a time when south africa was unwilling to talk about the disease, nkosi bravely stood before the world and did. >> we are normal. we are human beings. we can walk, we can talk. we have needs just like everyone else. we are all the same. thank you. >> reporter: that woman, giving the thumbs-up right there, is the woman who would adopt him, gail johnson. and the two of them together would start a shoe-string shelter for mothers with aids and their children. they called it nkosi's haven. >> we're full. this is a small house. it can't fit the other mothers who are hiv. they are dying. >> reporter: it was a year after that the world lost little nkosi. but years later, we decided to travel back to south africa to check in on the mother that adopted him. >> that's the baby daycare center. >> reporter: we found a sprawling village she built in honor of her son. nelson mandela said your son was an icon. >> he was a little war record. >> reporter: a war rec